Decorative basket assembly and method for producing same

ABSTRACT

A decorative basket assembly is produced by wrapping a wrapping material about an outer periphery of a basket. The basket wrapping material forms both a bow and a closure in a sheet of material about the basket. Methods of wrapping a basket with a basket wrapping material which forms both a bow and a closure are also disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/729,166,filed Dec. 4, 2000, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 08/588,961,filed Jan. 19, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,445, issued Dec. 5, 2000,which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 07/958,666, filed Oct.8, 1992.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] This invention generally relates to basket wrapping materialsand, more importantly, to decorative basket assemblies produced fromwrapping materials having at least a portion of an adhesive and/orcohesive thereon, and methods of producing such decorative basketassemblies.

[0004] 2. Background Art

[0005] Various methods of wrapping baskets have been provided over theyears. None, however, have been provided which provide a sheet ofmaterial which simultaneously wraps a basket, provides a closure to thewrapping and provides a basket assembly having a decorative bow at thetop of the wrapping.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] There is a need for a basket wrapping material whichsimultaneously wraps a basket, provides a closure to the wrapping, andalso provides a decorative basket assembly having a decorative bow,formed from the sheet of material. The present invention provides abasket wrapping material which forms a bow in a wrapping wrapped about abasket to provide a decorative basket assembly. The present basketwrapping material is a sheet of material having an upper surface, alower surface, and an outer periphery. The sheet of material isconstructed of a flexible material. The sheet of material has aplurality of bonding materials disposed on at least one surface. Theplurality of bonding materials are utilized to form both a bow and aclosure in the sheet of material, when the sheet of material is wrappedabout an outer periphery of a basket. When wrapped about a basket, theouter periphery of the sheet of material extends above the basket,thereby forming a wrapping. When one of the plurality of bondingmaterials is connected to another of the plurality of bonding materialsadjacent thereto, an open loop in the outer periphery of the sheet ofmaterial is created. Both a bow and a closure in the sheet of materialare formed when each of the plurality of adjacent bonding materials isconnected together, creating a plurality of open loops in the outerperiphery of the sheet of material. The plurality of open loops formboth a bow above the wrapping and a closure of the sheet of materialabout the basket.

[0007] The basket wrapping material may be made from polymeric film,fabric, cloth, fiber, paper, burlap, cellulose, foil or combinationsthereof. The basket wrapping material may be formed from a sheet ofmaterial having a thickness in a range of about 0.2 mil to about 10mils. The basket wrapping material may also be formed from a sheet ofmaterial having a thickness in a range of about 0.5 mil to about 3.5mils. The basket wrapping material may have a bonding material whichcomprises a plurality of adhesive spots which extend about the outerperiphery of the sheet of material. The basket wrapping material may,alternatively, have a bonding material which comprises a plurality ofcohesive spots which extend about the outer periphery of the sheet ofmaterial. The basket wrapping material is a sheet of material which mayfurther comprise a bag, or, alternatively, a sleeve.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sheet of the basket wrappingmaterial of the present invention.

[0009]FIG. 1A is an exaggerated cross-sectional partial view of thesheet of basket wrapping material of FIG. 1 taken along the line 1A-1Athereof.

[0010]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a basket.

[0011]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a modified sheet of basketwrapping material constructed similar to the material of FIGS. 1-1A, butshowing a release strip partially connected thereto.

[0012]FIG. 4 is perspective view showing one method of disposing abasket on a sheet of basket wrapping material.

[0013]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the basket and sheet of basketwrapping material of FIG. 4, showing the basket partially wrapped.

[0014]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a decorative basket assemblywherein the basket is wrapped with the sheet of basket wrapping materialof FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0015]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another modified sheet of basketwrapping material.

[0016]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a modified basket.

[0017]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of yet another modified sheet ofbasket wrapping material.

[0018]FIG. 10 is an exaggerated cross-sectional partial view of themodified sheet of basket wrapping material of FIG. 9 taken along theline 10-10 thereof.

[0019]FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a pad of sheets of basketwrapping material.

[0020]FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the pad of sheets of basketwrapping material of FIG. 11, showing a sheet of basket wrappingmaterial partially connected to the pad of sheets of material.

[0021]FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the pad of sheets of basketwrapping material of FIGS. 11 and 12, showing a sheet of materialsubstantially disconnected from the pad of sheets of basket wrappingmaterial.

[0022]FIG. 14 is perspective view of a continuous roll of basketwrapping material disposed in a dispenser.

[0023]FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the sheet of basket wrappingmaterial of FIGS. 1-1A, formed into a roll of material comprising asingle sheet of material.

[0024]FIG. 16 is a perspective view of still another modified basket andsheet of basket wrapping material, showing a basket disposed on thesheet of basket wrapping material.

[0025]FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a sheet of modified basketwrapping material made in accordance with the present invention, showingan area encircled for use in sectional views.

[0026]FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of a portion of the sheet of modifiedbasket wrapping material of FIG. 17, showing a portion of the pluralityof bonding material spots.

[0027]FIG. 19 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the sheetof modified basket wrapping material of FIG. 18, but showing the bondingof a portion of two of a plurality of bonding material spots resultingin the formation of a loop of basket wrapping material.

[0028]FIG. 20 is an enlarged perspective view of the portion of thesheet of modified basket wrapping material of FIG. 19, but showing thebonding of another portion of two of a plurality of bonding materialspots resulting in the formation of an additional loop of basketwrapping material.

[0029]FIG. 21 is a top plan view of a decorative basket assembly whereina basket is wrapped with the modified basket wrapping material of FIG.17, showing the bow formed from open loops formed in the basket wrappingmaterial.

[0030]FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the decorative basket assembly ofFIG. 21, showing the formed bow and closure of the sheet of basketwrapping material about the basket.

[0031]FIG. 23 is a perspective view of another sheet of modified basketwrapping material made in accordance with the present invention, showingan area encircled for use in sectional views.

[0032]FIG. 24 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the sheetof modified basket wrapping material of FIG. 23, showing a portion of aplurality of bonding material spot pairs.

[0033]FIG. 25 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the sheetof modified basket wrapping material of FIG. 24, but showing the bondingof a portion of two of a plurality of bonding material spot pairsresulting in the formation of a loop of basket wrapping material.

[0034]FIG. 26 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the sheetof the modified basket wrapping material of FIG. 25, but showing thebonding of another portion of two of a plurality of bonding materialspot pairs resulting in the formation of an additional loop of basketwrapping material.

[0035]FIG. 27 is a top plan view of a decorative basket assembly whereina basket is wrapped with the sheet of modified basket wrapping materialof FIG. 23, showing the bow formed from loops formed in the basketwrapping material.

[0036]FIG. 28 is a perspective view of the decorative basket assembly ofFIG. 27, showing the formed bow and closure of the sheet of basketwrapping material about the basket.

[0037]FIG. 29 is a perspective view of another sheet of modified basketwrapping material made in accordance with the present invention, showingthe sheet of basket wrapping material formed into a bag.

[0038]FIG. 30 is a top plan view of a decorative basket assembly whereina basket is wrapped with the sheet of modified basket wrapping materialof FIG. 29, showing the bow formed from loops formed in the sheet ofbasket wrapping material.

[0039]FIG. 31 is a perspective view of the decorative basket assembly ofFIG. 30, showing the formed bow and closure of the sheet of basketwrapping material about the basket.

[0040]FIG. 32 is a perspective view of another sheet of modified basketwrapping material made in accordance with the present invention, showingthe sheet of material formed into a sleeve.

[0041]FIG. 33 is a top plan view of a decorative basket assembly whereina basket is wrapped with the sheet of modified basket wrapping materialof FIG. 32, showing the bow formed from loops formed in the sheet ofbasket wrapping material.

[0042]FIG. 34 is a perspective view of the decorative basket assembly ofFIG. 33, showing the formed bow and closure of the sheet of basketwrapping material about the basket.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of FIGS. 1-6

[0043] Referring to FIGS. 1-6, designated generally by the referencenumeral 10 is a basket wrapping material which is constructed inaccordance with the present invention for wrapping at least a portion ofa basket to provide a decorative basket assembly 11 (FIG. 6). The basketwrapping material 10 is used to wrap about the outer surface of thebasket. One such basket is shown in FIG. 2, and is generally designatedby the numeral 12. The basket 12 has an upper end 14, a lower end 16,and an outer surface 18. An opening 19 is formed in the basket 12, witha portion of the basket opening 19 intersecting the upper end 14 of thebasket 12 forming an inner surface 20. The basket opening 19 is sizedand shaped for receiving items (not shown). The basket 12, inembodiments illustrated herein, has a handle 21 (FIGS. 2, 4-6) which isattached to the basket near the basket opening 19. It will beappreciated, however, that baskets 12 without handles may be utilized asdescribed herein. Examples of baskets 12 which are used in accordancewith the present invention include, but not by way of limitation, fruitbaskets, Easter baskets, picnic baskets, flower baskets, and the like.It will be appreciated that other baskets not mentioned herein but knownin the art may also be utilized in conjunction with the presentinvention.

[0044] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 1A, the basket wrapping material 10comprises a sheet of material 22. The sheet of material 22 has an uppersurface 24, a lower surface 26, and an outer periphery 28.

[0045] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the sheet of material 22 isround. It will be appreciated, however, that any shape or size of sheetof material 22 or any combination of sheets of material 22, may be usedto wrap about the outer surface 18 of a basket 12 of any shape or size.For example, a round sheet of material 22 may be used to wrap a squarebasket 12, or vice versa. Moreover, when multiple sheets of material 22are used in combination, the sheets of material 22 need not be uniformin size or shape. It will also be appreciated that the basket wrappingmaterial 10 shown in all embodiments herein is substantially flat.

[0046] The basket wrapping material 10 may be made from a variety ofmaterials. Examples of some basket wrapping materials used in accordancewith the present invention are polymeric films, fabric, cloth, fiber,paper, cellulose, burlap, foil, or any combination thereof.

[0047] The term “polymeric film” means a man-made polymer such as apolypropylene or a naturally occurring polymer such as cellophane. Apolymeric film is relatively strong and not as subject to tearing(substantially non-tearable), as might be the case with paper or foil.

[0048] Each sheet of material 22 may vary in color. Further, each sheetof material 22 may include designs which are printed, etched, and/orembossed; in addition, each sheet of material 22 may have variouscolorings, coatings, flockings and/or metallic finishes, or becharacterized totally or partially by neon, pearlescent, translucent,transparent, iridescent, or the like characteristics. Each of theabove-named characteristics may occur alone or in combination. Moreover,each upper and lower surface 24 and 26 of the sheet of material 22 mayvary in the combination of such characteristics. That is, the upperand/or lower surface 24 and/or 26 of the sheet of material 22, or anyportion thereof, may have any of the above-described features, and/ormay be clear, tinted, opaque, translucent or tinted transparent.

[0049] The sheet of material 22 may be constructed of a single sheet ofmaterial 22 or a plurality of sheets of material 22. Any thickness ofthe sheet of material 22 may be utilized in accordance with the presentinvention as long as the sheet of material 22 may be disposed about theouter surface 18 of a basket 12 as described herein. Typically, thesheet of material 22 has a thickness in a range of about 0.2 mil toabout 10 mils. In one embodiment, the sheet of material 22 isconstructed from one sheet of polymeric film having a thickness in arange from about 0.2 mil to about 3.5 mils.

[0050] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 1A, a plurality of bonding material spots30 are disposed on the upper surface 24 of the sheet of material 22(only one of the plurality of bonding material spots is identified bythe numeral 30). While the bonding material spots 30 are shown hereindisposed on the upper surface 24 of the sheet of material 22, it will beappreciated that the bonding material spots 30 may be disposed on thelower surface 26, or the bonding material spots 30 may be disposed bothon the upper surface 24 and the lower surface 26 of the sheet ofmaterial 22. The boding material spots 30, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-1Aand 3, are an adhesive. Alternatively, the bonding material spots 30 maybe a cohesive, as shown in FIG. 7. In addition, the bonding materialspots 30 may comprise an adhesive/cohesive combination. That is, somebonding material spots 30 may be adhesive, while other bonding materialspots 30 may be cohesive (not shown). The bonding material spots 30 maycover substantially the entire upper surface 24 of the sheet of material22; or, in a further alternative, the bonding material spots 30 mayinclude a second material (as shown in FIGS. 9-10) having at least aportion thereof impregnated with one bonding material spot 30 or aplurality of bonding material spots 30 (i.e., a bonding materialcomprising an adhesive, a cohesive, or an adhesive/cohesivecombination). The bonding material spots 30 may also only be disposed incertain locations on the sheet of material 22. Any material known in theart and commercially available which is capable of retaining one or morebonding material spots 30 disposed thereon and/or incorporated thereinmay be utilized.

[0051] The bonding material spots 30 impart sufficient adhesion and/orcohesion to permit the sheet of material 22 to be disposed about theouter surface 18 of the basket 12, with the upper surface 24 of thesheet of material 22 disposed adjacent the outer surface 18 of thebasket 12 so that the bonding material spots 30 on the sheet of material22 contact the outer surface 18 of the basket 12 for adhesively and/orcohesively connecting the sheet of material 22 to the outer surface 18of the basket 12. That is, the upper surface 24 of the sheet of material22 via the bonding material spots 30 thereon connects to the outersurface 18 of the basket 12. The upper surface 24 of the sheet ofmaterial 22 may alternatively connect to like portions of itself aswell, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. In this manner, a customized fit of thesheet of material 22 to the outer surface 18 of the basket 12 isobtained, even when the sheet of material 22 is shaped and sizeddifferently than the basket 12. It will be appreciated that when thesheet of material 22 is placed about the basket 12, the sheet ofmaterial 22 covers substantially the entire outer surface 18 of thebasket 12 to provide the decorative basket assembly 11. It will also beappreciated that the bonding material spots 30 illustrated in FIGS. 1-6are an adhesive.

[0052] The bonding material spots 30 may comprise a plurality of bondingmaterial spots 30 extending over the upper surface 24 of the sheet ofmaterial 22, as shown in FIG. 1. The bonding material spots 30 maycomprise one or a plurality of strips , or alternatively, a variety ofshapes and designs, which may be geometric (squares, rectangles,triangles, and the like), or fanciful, or abstract and/or asymmetrical(for example, hearts, flowers, slogans, printed letters or numbers,characters), or any combination thereof. It will be appreciated that thebonding material spots 30 may vary, spot-to-spot, with regard to size,shape, and placement on the sheet of material 22.

[0053] The bonding material spots 30 shown in all embodiments herein maybe one or a variety of colors. Ink, dye, pigments, or any combinationthereof of any color or combination of colors can be mixed with thebonding material spots 30, to create colored bonding material spots 30.It will be appreciated that all bonding material spots 30 described andillustrated herein are substantially flat.

[0054] The bonding material spots 30 are disposed on the upper surface24 of the sheet of material 22 by spraying, lacquering, or painting suchbonding material thereupon. Alternatively, the bonding material spots 30may be disposed upon the sheet of material 22 by any method known in theart. The bonding material spots 30 may also be disposed on the basket 12by any method described and/or shown herein. The bonding materials(adhesive, cohesive, or combinations thereof) described herein are wellknown in the art and commercially available.

[0055] The bonding material spots 30 provide non-permanent fasteningproperties to the sheet of material 22, and to the basket 12, permittingthe sheet of material 22 to engagingly contact and connect to the basket12. “Non-permanent fastening properties,” as used herein, means that thebonding material spots 30 permit the sheet of material 22 to engaginglycontact and connect to the outer surface 18 of the basket 12, oralternatively, the outer surface of the sheet of material 22. These samenon-permanent fastening properties of the bonding material spots 30permit a firm yet temporary engagement of the sheet of material 22 tothe outer surface 18 of the basket 12, or of the sheet of material 22 toitself. Such non-permanent fastening properties also permit the quickand easy removal of the sheet of-material 22 from the basket 12. Thebonding material spots 30 have non-permanent fastening properties whichprovide sufficient strength of engagement to firmly contact and hold thesheet of material 22 to the outer surface 18 of the basket 12, yet thesesame non-permanent fastening properties also permit the ready release ofthe sheet of material 22 from the basket 12 when the sheet of material22 is pulled away therefrom, without causing portions of the sheet ofmaterial 22 to remain attached to the basket 12. Such “non-permanentfastening properties” are found in the adhesives, particularly, but notby way of limitation, pressure-sensitive adhesives, and in somecohesives. Adhesives and/or cohesive bonding materials having permanentfastening properties may alternatively be utilized.

[0056] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the bonding material spots 30 on theupper surface 24 of the sheet of material 22 may be covered with atleast one release strip 32. The release strip 32 is used to protect thebonding material spots 30 before the upper surface 24 of the sheet ofmaterial 22 and the bonding material spots 30 thereon are disposedadjacent the outer surface 18 of the basket 12. The release strip 32 hasan upper surface 34, a lower surface 36, and an outer periphery 38. Thelower surface 36 of the release strip 32 is disposed adjacent thebonding material spots 30 on the upper surface 24 of the sheet ofmaterial 22. It will be appreciated that the release strip 32 is alsosubstantially flat.

[0057] FIGS. 4-6 illustrate one method of use of the present invention.First, a sheet of material 22 and a basket 12, as described in detailabove, are provided. The release strip 32 is removed from the uppersurface 24 of the sheet of material 22. Then, the sheet of material 22is placed on a relatively horizontal surface with the lower surface 26of the sheet of-material 22 adjacent the horizontal surface. The basket12 is then placed in the approximate center of the upper surface 24 ofthe sheet of material 22.. An operator then spreads and disposes thesheet of material 22 upward, in a general direction U over the outersurface 18 of the basket 12. The bonding material spots 30 on the uppersurface 24 of the sheet of material 22 engagingly contact the outersurface 18 of the basket 12, simultaneously engaging like portions ofitself. The connection of one like portion of the upper surface 24 ofthe sheet of material 22 to at least one other like portion thereofcreates overlapping folds 39, the sheet of material 22 therebysimultaneously contacting and connecting to the outer surface 18 of thebasket while conforming to the outer surface 18 of the basket 12. Thebonding material spots 30 on the upper surface 24 of the sheet ofmaterial 22 engagingly contact the outer surface 18 of the basket 12,thereby connecting the sheet of material 22 to the outer surface 18 ofthe basket 12. The connections of the sheet of material 22 to likeportions thereof, creating overlapping folds 39, and to the outersurface 18 of the basket 12 produce a contoured and customized fit ofthe sheet of material 22 to the outer surface 18 of the basket 12 andthereby produces the decorative basket assembly 11 (FIG. 6). Theoperator continues to dispose the sheet of material 22 upward, in thegeneral direction U, continuing to connect the sheet of material 22 tothe outer surface 18 of the basket 12 while substantially covering,surrounding and encompassing the outer surface 18 of the basket 12 withthe sheet of material 22, and substantially enclosing the basket 12 inthe sheet of material 22 by twisting the remaining portions of the sheetof material 22 which extend above the basket 12 together (not shown), orby pressing them together (FIG. 6), or by using a twist tie (not shown),or by any method or means shown and described herein.

[0058] Unless the sheet of material 22 is precisely sized to fit theouter surface 18 of the basket 12, overlapping folds 39 (only one suchoverlapping fold being designated with a reference numeral and shown inFIG. 6) are formed in the sheet of material 22. The overlapping folds 39extend at different angles and over different lengths, and permit thesheet of material 22 to conform to the contours of the outer surface 18of the basket 12 to create a contoured and customized fit of the sheetof material 22 to the basket 12.

Embodiments of FIGS. 7-8

[0059] Shown in FIGS. 7-8 is a sheet of modified basket wrappingmaterial 22 a which is similar to the basket wrapping material 10 shownin FIGS. 1-1A, and described in detail previously, except that the sheetof material 22 a is square instead of round, and a plurality of bondingmaterial spots 30 a on an upper surface 24 a of the sheet of material 22a are a cohesive.

[0060] An outer periphery 28 a of the sheet of material 22 a iscomprised of four sides, namely a first side 40, a second side 42, athird side 44, and a fourth side 46. A basket 12 a is similar to the oneshown and described in detail previously with reference to FIG. 2,except at least one bonding material spot 30 aa is disposed on an outersurface 18 a of the basket 12 a, the bonding material spot 30 aagenerally conforming to the outer surface 18 a and substantiallycovering the outer surface 18 a of the basket 12 a. The bonding materialspot 30 aa comprises a cohesive. The spot 30 aa may be disposed on thebasket by any method shown or described herein.

[0061] After the bonding material spot 30 aa has been disposed on thebasket 12 a, the basket 12 a may be wrapped in the sheet of material 22a. The sheet of material 22 a is disposed about the basket 12 a by thesame method shown in FIGS. 1-6 and previously described herein indetail. It will be appreciated that overlapping folds, similar to theoverlapping folds 39 shown in FIG. 6, will be formed in the sheet ofmaterial 22 a when same is wrapped about the outer surface 18 a of thebasket 12 a. That is, overlapping folds are formed in the sheet ofmaterial 22 a by one portion of the upper surface 24 a sheet of material22 a and the bonding material spots 30 a thereon (cohesive) contacting asimilar portion thereof, and contacting the outer surface 18 a of thebasket 12 a having the bonding material spot 30 aa thereon (which alsois a cohesive). The overlapping folds will extend at different anglesand over different lengths, and permit the sheet of material 22 a toconform to the contours of the outer surface 18 a of the basket 12 a tocreate a customized fit of the sheet of material 22 a to the basket 12 a(not shown).

The Embodiments of FIGS. 9-10

[0062] Illustrated in FIGS. 9-10 is a sheet of modified basket wrappingmaterial 22 b which is similar to the sheet of basket wrapping material22 shown in FIGS. 1, 1A and 3-6, and described in detail previously,except that the sheet of material 22 b has bonding material spots 30 bon an upper surface 24 b of the sheet of material 22 b which are anadhesive.

[0063] The adhesive is incorporated partially (shown in FIG. 10) orcompletely (not shown) in the upper surface 24 b of the sheet ofmaterial 22 b during the extrusion process. The extrusion of man-madepolymers into film is well-known in the art. Alternatively, the bondingmaterial spots 30 b may be fastened to the sheet of material 22 b byheat sealing the bonding material spots 30 b to the sheet of material 22b, or, the bonding material spots 30 b may be capable of connecting andfastening themselves to the sheet of material 22 b, due to theircomposition; that is, the adhesive, the cohesive, or theadhesive/cohesive combination. It will be understood that the bondingmaterial spots 30 b may be fastened to the sheet of material 22 b, oralternatively, to the basket(not shown), or both (not shown), by anymethod shown and/or described herein.

[0064] A basket (not shown) may be wrapped in the sheet of material 22b. The sheet of material 22 b is disposed about the basket by the samemethod shown in FIGS. 1-6 and previously described herein in detail.

The Embodiments of FIGS. 11-13

[0065] A further embodiment and method of use are shown in FIGS. 11-13.A basket wrapping material 10 c is made in accordance with theembodiments shown and described in FIGS. 1-6 except a plurality ofsheets of material 22 c are connected together to form a pad 48 ofsheets of material 22 c. The pad 48 comprises a plurality of sheets ofmaterial 22 c stacked one on top of the other and positioned so that theperiphery 28 c of the sheets of material 22 c in the pad 48 aregenerally aligned.

[0066] The pad 48 further includes a top sheet of material 50, which isthe uppermost sheet of material 22 c in the pad 48, and a next sheet ofmaterial 52 disposed immediately thereunder, the other sheets ofmaterial 22 c being disposed under the next sheet of material 52 in thepad 48. Each sheet of material 22 c has bonding material spots 30 cdisposed thereon, preferably on an upper surface 24 c of each sheet ofmaterial 22 c, which is adjacent to and engagingly contacts the sheet ofmaterial 22 c just above it in the pad 48 of sheets of material 22 c.The bonding material spots 30 c on each sheet of material 22 c fastensand connects to a portion of another sheet of material 22 c forcooperating to connect the sheets of material 22 c into the pad 48.

[0067] The top sheet of material 50 in the pad 48 of sheets of material22 c may be removed by lifting the top sheet of material 50 andreleasably detaching the top sheet of material 50 from the next sheet ofmaterial 52. In this manner, the next sheet of material 52 becomes thenew top sheet of material 50 and the sheet of material 22 c below thenew top sheet of material 50 becomes the new next sheet of material 52.

[0068] A method of use is illustrated by FIGS. 12-13. A plurality ofsheets of material 22 c in the pad 48, as previously described, areprovided. The operator generally grasps the top sheet 50 in the pad 48of sheets of material 22 c near the periphery 28 c thereof and lifts thetop sheet 50, thereby releasably detaching a portion of the top sheet 50from the upper surface 24 c of the next sheet of material 52, as shownin FIGS. 12 and 13. The operator continues to lift the top sheet 50, andby lifting and releasably pulling the top sheet 50 away from the nextsheet of material 52, as shown in FIG. 13, the operator then releasablydisconnects the top sheet of material 50 from the next sheet of material52 disposed under the top sheet of material 50 in the pad 48.

[0069] A basket (not shown) may then be wrapped using the disconnectedsheet of material 22 c. The sheet of material 22 c is disposed about thebasket by exactly the same method shown in FIGS. 1-6 and previouslydescribed herein in detail.

[0070] It will be appreciated that when the top sheet of material 50 hasbeen releasably disconnected from the pad 48 in the manner justdescribed, the next sheet of material 52, under the top sheet ofmaterial 50, then provides a new top sheet of material 50 and theprocess can be repeated for disconnecting additional sheets of material22 c.

The Embodiment of FIG. 14

[0071]FIG. 14 shows another embodiment and method of use of the presentinvention. The basket wrapping material 10 d is similar to the basketwrapping material 10 shown in FIG. 7 and described in detail previously,except that the basket wrapping material 10 d is contained as a roll 54of sheets of material 22 d in a dispenser 56. The plurality of sheets ofmaterial 22 d in the roll 54 are connected by perforations 57 (the sheetof material 22 d shown partially detached and turned upward forillustration purposes only). Alternatively, the roll 54 may simply beformed as a continuous roll of sheets of material 22 d withoutperforations, and the basket wrapping material 10 d may be severed intoseparate sheets of material 22 d by a serrated cutting edge (not shown)contained within the dispenser 56, or by a separate cutting element (notshown). Any number of sheets of material 22 d may form the roll 54 aslong as it is possible to withdraw at least one sheet of material 22 dfrom the roll 54, as described previously.

[0072] Optionally, a release strip (not shown, but like the releasestrip 32 described previously) may be used to cover an upper surface 24d of the sheet of material 22 d. It will be appreciated that the releasestrip will detach from the roll 54 in the same manner andsimultaneously, with the detachment of the sheet of material 22 d.

[0073] After being withdrawn and detached from the roll 54, the sheet ofmaterial 22 d is disposed about a basket (not shown) by the same methodpreviously described herein in detail in connection with FIGS. 1-8.

Embodiment of FIG. 15

[0074] Illustrated in FIG. 15 is a modified basket wrapping material 10e which is constructed similar to the basket wrapping material 10 shownin FIGS. 1, 1A and 3-6 and described in detail previously, except thatthe sheet of material 22 e is rolled into a continuous roll 58 of basketwrapping material 10 e without a dispenser. In this embodiment, only onesheet of material 22 e is included in the roll 58, although a pluralityof sheets of material 22 e could be included in the roll 58. The rolledsheet of material 22 e acts as its own release strip, thereby protectingbonding material spots 30 e on the upper surface 24 e of the sheet ofmaterial 22 e.

[0075] In use, the sheet of material 22 e is rolled out and disposedabout an outer surface of a basket (not shown) by the same methodpreviously described in detail herein.

Embodiment of FIG. 16

[0076] Disclosed in FIG. 16 is a modified basket wrapping material 10 fwhich is constructed similar to the basket wrapping material 10 shown inFIGS. 1, 1A and 3-6, and described in detail previously, except thatbonding material spots 30 f are disposed on an outer surface 18 f of abasket 12 f. The bonding material spots 30 f are an adhesive, and asheet of material 22 f does not include bonding material spots.

[0077] It will be appreciated that the bonding material spots 30 fcovering the outer surface 18 f of the basket 12 f may comprise a solidsection, or, alternatively, bonding material spots as previouslydescribed, or any combination thereof. In the present embodiment, thebonding material spots 30 f on the basket 12 f are heart-shaped, whileon a handle 21 f, the bonding material spots 30 f are a solid strip.While the bonding material spots 30 f are an adhesive, it will beappreciated that the bonding material spots 30 f could also include asecond material, comprising an adhesive, a cohesive, or anadhesive/cohesive combination, as previously described herein.

[0078] Referring to FIG. 16, the sheet of material 22 f is disposedabout the basket 12 f by the same method shown in FIGS. 4-6, andpreviously described in detail herein.

[0079] In a further embodiment (not shown), it will also be appreciatedthat the bonding material spots could also be disposed both on the outersurface of the basket and on the upper surface of the sheet of material.In this embodiment, the sheet of material would be wrapped about thebasket by any method previously shown and/or described herein.

The Embodiments and Methods of FIGS. 17-22

[0080] Disclosed in FIGS. 17-22 is a modified basket wrapping materiallog comprising a sheet of material 22 g, which is constructed similar tothe basket wrapping material 10 shown in FIGS. 1-6, and described indetail previously, except that a plurality of bonding material spots 30g are disposed in a particular arrangement on an upper surface 24 g ofthe sheet of material 22 g. The plurality of bonding material spots 30 gare arranged such that the bonding material spots 30 g cooperate toprovide both a bow 60 at the top of a wrapped basket 12 g and a closureof the sheet of material 22 g about the basket 12 g, substantially asshown in FIGS. 21 and 22. Both the bow 60 and the closure are formedwhen the plurality of bonding-material spots 30 g are connected togetherin the method described below.

[0081] It will be understood that the plurality of bonding materialspots 30 g disposed on the sheet of material 22 g provide one schematicexample of forming a combined closure and bow 60. It will also beunderstood by those having ordinary skill in the art, after viewing thepresent disclosure, that the plurality of bonding material spots 30 gmay be arranged in a different manner, and still form the combined andsimultaneous bow 60 and closure.

[0082] The sheet of material 22 g shown in FIG. 17 and described indetail herein has a plurality of oval-shaped bonding material spots 30 gnumbering, but not by way of limitation, sixteen oval-shaped bondingmaterial spots 30 g, which are disposed on the upper surface 24 g of thesheet of material and positioned near and around the outer periphery 28g of the sheet of material 22 g in a generally symmetrical manner. FIGS.18-20 show detailed views of a portion of the upper surface 24 g of thesheet of material 22 g near a third side 44 g of the sheet of material22 g shown in FIG. 17, the detailed view taken from the area encircled.FIG. 19 shows, in part, the beginning of the formation of both the bow60 and the closure of the sheet of material 22 g after the basket 12 ghas been disposed on the sheet of material 22 g and the sheet ofmaterial 22 g has been wrapped about an outer surface 18 g of the basket12 g. FIG. 19 shows one of a plurality of loops 62 which forms both thebow 60 and the closure, while FIG. 20 shows two of the plurality ofloops 62.

[0083] In a general method of use, as illustrated in FIGS. 17-22, thesheet of material 22 g is provided, and the basket 12 g is disposedthereupon (shown above). The sheet of material 22 g is gathered aboutthe basket 12 g in any method previously shown or described herein. Theouter periphery 28 g of the sheet of material 22 g is extended abovebasket 12 g. Then, the method illustrated in FIGS. 19-22 is performed toprovide a decorative basket assembly 11 g substantially as shown in FIG.21 and 22. That is, one-half of each bonding material spot 30 g isconnected to one-half of the nearest adjacent bonding material spot 30g. For purposes of illustration only, three of the plurality of bondingmaterial spots 30 g illustrated in FIGS. 18-20 are numbered as bondingmaterial spots 30 g, 30 gg and 30 gg′, respectively. As shown in FIG.19, one-half of bonding material spot 30 g is bonded to one-half ofbonding material spot 30 gg to form one of the plurality of open loops62 (only one loop designated by the numeral 62) which form both the bow60 and the closure. As illustrated in FIG. 20, one-half of bondingmaterial spot 30 gg is then bonded to one-half of bonding material spot30 gg′ to form yet another of the plurality of open loops 62. Thisprocess is continued until all of the plurality of bonding materialspots 30 g are connected together by the method disclosed herein andillustrated in FIGS. 18-22.

[0084] It will be appreciated that a certain amount of crimping may beprovided below the bow 60, but it will also be appreciated that thesheet of material 22 g will naturally crimp itself somewhat below thebow 60 in providing portions of the sheet of material 22 g which tuckinward while other portions of the sheet of material 22 g loop outward,providing the plurality of open loops 62 which form the bow 60.Therefore, as shown in this embodiment, but not by way of limitation,there is a bow 60 formed (FIGS. 21 and 22) which comprises a pluralityof open loops 62 (sixteen loops in the present embodiment) and asimultaneous closure of the sheet of material 22 g about the basket 12g, the closure forming a wrapping 64 about the basket 12 g.

[0085] In alternative embodiments, it will be appreciated that a similarclosure could be created with fewer bonding material spots 30 g, or,alternatively, by skipping every other bonding material spot, to create,for example but not by way of limitation, a bow with eight open loops,or, alteratively, four open loops, or any other number of open loopswhich form both a bow and a simultaneous closure of the sheet ofmaterial 22 g about the basket 12 g. That is, if only a bonding materialspot 30 g in each corner of the sheet of material 22 g were utilized,along with a bonding material spot 30 g disposed in between each corner(a total, for example only, of eight bonding material spots) then, bythe method described above, the eight bonding material spots would formboth a closure of the sheet of material 22 g about the basket 12 g and abow 60 having eight open loops 62. If only the bonding material spots 30g disposed in each corner of the sheet of material 22 g were utilized,then by the method described above, the four bonding material spots 30 gwould form both a closure and a bow 60 having four open loops 62. Itwill be apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art that disposingdifferent numbers of bonding material spots 30 g and differing thearrangement of the plurality of bonding material spots 30 g on the sheetof material 22 g will create closures and bows 60 having differingnumbers and/or sizes of open loops 62.

The Embodiments and Methods of FIGS. 23-28

[0086] Disclosed in FIGS. 23-28 is a modified basket wrapping material10 h which is constructed similar to the basket wrapping material 10 gshown in FIGS. 17-22 and described in detail previously, except that thesheet of material 22 h is round, and a plurality of bonding materialspots 30 h disposed thereon are disposed about and near a round outerperiphery 28 h of the sheet of material 22 h in a more asymmetricalpattern than that described above and shown in FIGS. 17-22, theplurality of bonding material spots 30 h being each a pair of bondingmaterial spots 30 h. The present embodiment and method also provides acombined method of forming a bow 60 h and a method of closure when thesheet of material 22 h is wrapped about a basket 12 h to form a wrapping64 h (FIGS. 27 and 28). The wrapping 64 and the basket 12 h provide adecorative basket assembly 11 h.

[0087] The sheet of material 22 h shown in FIGS. 23-26, and described indetail herein has a plurality of the bonding material spots 30 h (eachspot 30 h designating the pair of spots 30 h) disposed on an uppersurface 24 h of the sheet of material 22 h and positioned about and nearthe outer periphery 28 h of the sheet of material 22 h in a moreasymmetrical pattern than that described above and shown in FIGS. 17-22.FIGS. 24-26 are detailed views of a portion of the upper surface 24 h ofthe sheet of material 22 h near the outer periphery 28 h, taken from thearea encircled in FIG. 23. FIG. 25 shows, in part, the beginning of theformation of both a bow 60 h and the closure of the sheet of material 22h which is after a basket 12 h (FIGS. 27 and 28) has been disposed onthe sheet of material 22 h and the sheet of material 22 h has beenwrapped about an outer surface 18 h of the basket 12 h. FIG. 25 showsone of a plurality of loops 62 h which forms both the bow 60 and theclosure, while FIG. 26 shows two of the plurality of loops 62 h.

[0088] In a general method of use, as illustrated in FIGS. 24-28, thesheet of material 22 h is provided, and the basket 12 h is disposedthereupon (shown above). The sheet of material 22 h is gathered aboutthe basket 12 h in any method previously shown or described herein. Theouter periphery 28 h of the sheet of material 22 h is extended above thebasket 12 h. Then, the method illustrated in FIGS. 25-28 is begun. Thatis, one bonding material spot 30 h of the pair of bonding material spots30 h is connected to the nearest bonding material spot 30 h of thenearest adjacent pair of bonding material spots 30 h. For purposes ofillustration only, three of the plurality of bonding material spot pairs30 h illustrated in FIGS. 24-26 are numbered as bonding material spotpairs 30 h, 30 hh and 30 hh′, respectively. As shown in FIG. 25, theright spot of the bonding material spot pair 30 h is bonded to the leftspot of the bonding material spot pair 30 hh to form one of theplurality of loops 62 h (only one loop designated by the numeral 62 h)which form both the bow 60 h and the closure. As illustrated in FIG. 26,the right spot of the bonding material spot pair 30 hh is bonded to theleft spot of the bonding material spot pair 30 hh′ to form another ofthe plurality of loops 62 h. This process is continued until all of theplurality of bonding material spots 30 h are connected together by themethod disclosed herein and illustrated in FIGS. 24-28.

[0089] It will be appreciated that a certain amount of crimping may beprovided below the bow 60 h, but it will also be appreciated that thesheet of material 22 h will naturally crimp itself somewhat below thebow 60 h in providing portions of the sheet of material 22 h which tuckinward while other portions of the sheet of material 22 h loop outward,providing the plurality of loops 62 h which form the bow 60 h.Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, a bow 60 h is formed whichcomprises a plurality of open loops 62 h (sixteen loops in the presentembodiment) and a simultaneous closure of the sheet of material 22 habout the basket 12 h, the closure-forming a wrapping 64 h about thebasket 12 h and thus a decorative basket assembly 11 h.

[0090] It will further be appreciated that, in another alternative,rather than the bonding material spot pairs 30 h, there may instead be aprovided an alternative bonding material spot pair 30 h wherein one inthe pair of spots comprises a bonding material, and wherein the other inthe pair of spots comprises only a designation, such as, but not by wayof limitation, a circle or spot printed on the sheet of material 22 h,the circle or spot providing a designation as to where the adjacentbonding material spot of the adjacent bonding material spot pair 30 h isto be adhered. This procedure is identical to that described above indetail, and as shown in FIGS. 24-26, except that, rather than adheringbonding material spot-to-bonding material spot, an operator wouldinstead adhere a bonding material spot to a designated circle ormarking. In alternative embodiments, it will be appreciated that asimilar closure could be created with fewer bonding material spot pairs30 h, or, alternatively, by skipping every other spot, to create, forexample but not by way of limitation, a bow with eight open loops, or,alteratively, four open loops, or any other number of open loops whichformed both a bow and a simultaneous closure of the sheet of material 22h about the basket 12 h. That is, if only a bonding material spot pair30 g in each corner of the sheet of material 22 h were utilized, alongwith a bonding material spot pair 30 g disposed in-between each corner(a total, for example only, of eight bonding material spot pairs) then,by the method described above, the eight bonding material spot pairswould form both a closure of the sheet of material 22 h about the basket12 h and a bow 60 h having eight open loops 62 h. If only the bondingmaterial spot pairs 30 h disposed in each corner of the sheet ofmaterial 22 h were utilized, then by the method described above, thefour bonding material spot pairs 30 h would form both a closure and abow 60 h having four open loops 62 h. It will be apparent to one havingordinary skill in the art that disposing different numbers of bondingmaterial spots 30 h and differing the arrangement of the plurality ofbonding material spot pairs 30 h on the sheet of material 22 h willcreate closures and bows 60 h having differing numbers and/or sizes ofloops 62 h.

The Embodiments and Methods of FIGS. 29-31

[0091] Disclosed in FIGS. 29-31 is a modified basket wrapping material10 i which is similar to the basket wrapping material 10 and the sheetof material-22 described previously, except that a sheet of material 22i is formed into the shape of a bag 70. The bag 70 has an upper end 72,a closed lower end 74 and an outer peripheral surface 76. An opening 77is formed in the upper end 72, which forms an inner peripheral surface78 defining a basket retaining space 80. A plurality of bonding materialspots 30 i, similar to those shown previously in FIGS. 17-22 anddescribed above, are disposed on the inner peripheral surface 78 of thebag 70, the bonding material spots 30 i being disposed about and nearthe opening 77 in the upper end 72 of the bag 70. It will be understoodthat the bag 70 has all of the characteristics previously describedherein for the basket wrapping material 10 and the sheet of material 22.It will also be appreciated that the bag may form any shape, as long asit functions as described herein.

[0092] In a general method of use, as illustrated in FIGS. 29-31, thebag 70 is provided, and a basket 12 i is disposed in the basketretaining space 80 (FIGS. 29 and 30) of the bag 70 of the basketwrapping material 10. Once the basket 12 i is disposed in the bag 70,the upper end 72 of the bag 70 is gathered together in the same methodshown in FIGS. 17-22 and described in detail above to provide adecorative basket assembly 11 i. The plurality of bonding material spots30 i are bonded together by the method previously shown and described toform both a bow 60 i and a closure of the bag 70.

[0093] Alternative embodiments, as described previously herein, may alsobe utilized with the bag 70, as can alternative methods of forming thebow 60 i and the closure of the bag 70.

The Embodiments and Methods of FIGS. 32-34

[0094] Disclosed in FIGS. 32-34 is a modified basket wrapping material10 j which is similar to the basket material 10 and the sheet ofmaterial 22 described previously, except that the basket wrappingmaterial 10 j comprises a sheet of material 22 j formed into the shapeof a sleeve 82. The sleeve 82 has an upper end 84, a lower end 86 and anouter peripheral surface 88. An opening 90 is formed in the upper end 84and extends through the lower end 86, which forms an inner peripheralsurface 92 defining a basket retaining space 94. It will be appreciatedthat the lower end 86 of the sleeve 82 may also be left closed (notshown), or may be closed before or after a basket 12 j is disposed inthe basket retaining space 94 to provide a decorative basket assembly 11j (FIGS. 33 and 34).

[0095] A plurality of bonding material spots 30 j are disposed on theinner peripheral surface 92 of the sleeve 82 about and near the opening90 formed in the upper end 84 of the sleeve 82. These plurality ofbonding material spots 30 i may be disposed in any manner as describedabove, but for purposes of this embodiment, are shown as similar to theplurality of bonding material spots 30 g shown in FIGS. 17-22 anddescribed in detail above.

[0096] It will be understood that the sleeve 82 has all of thecharacteristics previously described herein for the basket wrappingmaterial 10 and the sheet of material 22. It will also be understoodthat the sleeve 82 may be formed from one sheet of material 22 j wrappedin a cylindrical, frusto-conical or reverse frusto-conical shape, thesheet of material 22 j connecting to itself. Alternatively, it will beappreciated that any sleeve may be used as the sleeve 82 as long as thesleeve functions as described herein.

[0097] In one alternative, a sleeve may be formed from a first sheet ofmaterial and a second sheet of material (not shown). In this alternativeembodiment, the second sheet of material is disposed upon and alignedwith the first sheet of material. Then the first sheet of material andthe second sheet of material are connected together to form the sleeve,by connecting, for example but not by way of limitation, the first sideof the first sheet of material with the first side of the second sheetof material, and by connecting the second side of the first sheet ofmaterial with the second side of the second sheet of material, theconnection made by the bonding material described herein, by heatsealing, by lacquer, or by any other method known in the art.

[0098] In a general method of use, as illustrated in FIGS. 32-34, thesleeve 82 and the basket 12 j are provided. The basket 12 j is disposedin the basket retaining space 94 of the sleeve 82. It will be understoodthat a portion of the sleeve 82 is of a smaller diameter than the outersurface 18 j of the basket 12 j, so that the basket 12 j is frictionallyheld within the basket retaining space 94 of the sleeve 82. Once thebasket 12 j is disposed in the basket retaining space 94 of the sleeve82, the upper end 84 of the sleeve 82 is gathered together in the samemethod shown in FIGS. 17-22 and described in detail above. The pluralityof bonding material spots 30 j are bonded together by the methodpreviously shown and described to form both a bow 60 j and a closure ofthe upper end 84 of the sleeve 82.

[0099] Alternative embodiments, as described previously herein, may alsobe utilized with the sleeve 82, as can alternative methods of formingthe bow 60 j and the closure of the sleeve 82. It will be appreciatedthat additional closure means, such as bonding material or other closuremeans previously described herein, may optionally be added to any of theabove described embodiments to assist in closure of the wrapping.

[0100] Changes may be made in the embodiments of the invention describedherein, or in parts or elements of the embodiments described herein, orin the sequence of steps of the methods described herein withoutdeparting from the spirit and/or scope of the invention as defined inthe following claims.

1. A decorative basket assembly, comprising: a basket having an upperend, a lower end, an outer surface, and a basket opening; and a basketwrapping material disposed about the outer surface of the basket, thebasket wrapping material comprising a sheet of material having an uppersurface, a lower surface, an outer edge, and a plurality of spots ofadhesive or cohesive bonding material disposed on at least one of theupper or lower surfaces of the sheet of material, whereby adjacentspatially disposed spots of adhesive or cohesive bonding material havebeen brought into bonding engagement with the outer surface of thebasket forming loops in portions of the sheet of material.
 2. Thedecorative basket assembly of claim 1 wherein the loop is an open loop.3. The decorative basket assembly of claim 1 wherein the sheet ofmaterial is fabricated from a material selected from the groupconsisting of polymer film, fabric, cloth, fiber, paper, burlap, foil orcombinations thereof.
 4. The decorative basket assembly of claim 1wherein the sheet of material has a thickness in a range of from about0.2 mil to about 10 mils.
 5. The decorative basket assembly of claim 1wherein the sheet of material has a thickness in a range of from about0.5 mil to about 3.5 mils.
 6. The decorative basket assembly of claim 1wherein the plurality of spots of adhesive or cohesive bonding materialdisposed on the sheet of material comprises a plurality of spotsextending about the outer edge of the sheet of material.
 7. Thedecorative basket assembly of claim 1 wherein the sheet of material is abag.
 8. The decorative basket assembly of claim 1 wherein the sheet ofmaterial is a sleeve.
 9. A method for wrapping a basket, comprising:providing a basket having an upper end, a lower end, an outer surface,and a basket opening; providing a sheet of flexible material having anupper surface, a lower surface, an outer edge and a plurality of spotsof adhesive or cohesive bonding material disposed on at least one of theupper and lower surface of the sheet of material; and wrapping the sheetof flexible material about the outer surface of the basket wherebyadjacent spatially disposed spots of adhesive or cohesive bondingmaterial are brought into bonding engagement with the outer surface ofthe basket to form loops.
 10. The method of wrapping a basket of claim 9wherein in the step of wrapping the sheet of material about the outersurface of the basket the spatially disposed spots of adhesive orcohesive bonding material are brought into bonding engagement to formopen loops.
 11. The method of claim 9 wherein, in the step of providinga sheet of flexible material, the sheet of flexible material is amaterial selected from the group consisting of polymer film, fabric,cloth, fiber, paper, burlap, foil or combinations thereof.
 12. Themethod of claim 9 wherein, in the step of providing a sheet of flexiblematerial, the sheet of flexible material has a thickness in a range offrom about 0.2 mil to about 10 mils.
 13. The method of claim 9 wherein,in the step of providing a sheet of flexible material, the sheet offlexible material has a thickness in a range of from about 0.5 mil toabout 3.5 mils.
 14. The method of claim 9 wherein, in the step ofproviding a sheet of flexible material, the plurality of spots ofadhesive or cohesive bonding material comprises a plurality of spotsextending about the outer edge of the sheet of flexible material. 15.The method of claim 9 wherein, in the step of providing a basketwrapping material, the sheet of material is a bag.
 16. The cover ofclaim 9 wherein in the sheet of material is a sleeve.